One of my favorite parts about the holiday season is dressing up! Dresses, heels, sparkles, and glam — this is the time of year when I get truly excited about it all! Unfortunately, there won’t be much of that this year, with the exception of my family’s Christmas photoshoot– which is our tradition. Usually done a day or 2 before Christmas, my family and I get dressed in our fashionable and glamorous outfits and take photos around our tree and decor. We’ve been doing this since I was a young kid, and it’s a no-brainer to-do for the holidays. In college, I always had to make sure I brought home (or had at home) a cute outfit and heels just for the photos. At least I’ll have that this year, but I’m definitely missing the excitement of attending holiday parties and get-togethers.
Just to get into the spirit, I quickly put together 5 holiday looks I would totally wear this holiday season. Hopefully, this can even encourage you to dress up a little and have a little photo-op yourself, even if you’re just staying home. 🙂
Also, as a minor disclaimer, several of the items worn here are many years old (or “borrowed” from my mom — shhhh) so I won’t have direct links to them as they’re likely not available. However, I still hope that these looks help spark some fashion inspiration for your holiday looks. There’s so much out there — maybe there’s something similar for you!
*Please note the header image is by Mel Poole from Unsplash – a free stock image repository.
5 Dressy Looks for the Holidays
The oversized black blazer has made another appearance! I don’t have a blazer dress, but I made it work with this blazer. This time, I paired it with leather shorts (which you can barely see lol.. that’s how long this blazer is on me) and a tank underneath for a sleek monochromatic look. My favorite part is most definitely the belt. Adding a belt helps to cinch the waist and make this blazer look more “dressy” rather than a jacket. I love the touch of sparkle and bling this particular belt adds! Very festive.
The blazer, tank, shorts, and shoes are all from Zara (details on the blazer are here). The belt is the star of the show here– it’s from Banana Republic (you can even tie it over your head as a headband). However, fun fact, the shoes are actually from my high school winter formal and they’re my absolute favorite. Who doesn’t love a gold heel?
So, the backstory behind this dress was that I got it for my senior year high school winter formal. I had full intentions of wearing it… until I got self conscious and decided against it. I haven’t worn this dress out since I got it and have only worn it at home during a family Christmas holiday photoshoot in 2015. Again, I haven’t been able to wear this out and now I am dying to!!
This dress is about 6 years old, from BCBG. I did a quick google search (which consisted of “BCBG strapless dress high low eyelet” lol) and saw that many people are selling this on Poshmark. What I also appreciate about this dress is that it comes with detachable straps, if I wasn’t feeling the strapless. I thought that’s a unique touch, since it’s something I have not seen in strapless dresses before.
Seriously hoping that I can wear this to an event in the near (post-Covid) future! But for now, holiday Christmas photos will do.
Now this jumpsuit is actually a recent purchase from Zara, bought specifically for this holiday season!
I’m not really a jumpsuit person so I usually scroll past them when I’m browsing online. I’ve often preferred dresses because they are more comfortable and fit me better. Maybe it’s my body type, but sometimes jumpsuits don’t fit quite right? But when I saw this online, I wanted to give it a shot. It’s a simple look, with a wrapped v neck, ruffled sleeves and satin (with a subtle design) fabric, but the simplicity is what drew me towards it. In fact, I don’t have anything like it!
This jumpsuit is extremely soft, lightweight and screams comfort. I could wear this all day and night. Not pictured here, but one suggestion I have to make this look even more glam is by adding some bold jewelry. Maybe some statement earrings or bracelets? Personally, I kind of like that the neck is bare, but a necklace would totally work too!
I really love this dress– a hidden gem that I forgot about, courtesy of my mom’s closet (and ASOS). 😉
I think you can tell by now, I really like monochromatic looks. I love the way the black and white contrasting pleats — it makes for a very flattering silhouette, considering the a-line shape of this dress. I’m already quite tall, but this pattern and the midi-length of this dress makes me look even taller! It is also super flowy, which is another way of saying it’s very comfortable, without compromising the chic. I have always been drawn to pleats (even my prom dress had pleats, haha), but it’s not something I wear often. Definitely something I should consider wearing more of!
Again, while I love wearing this dress on its own (and with a pair of black high heels), it can definitely be paired with some accessories — such as dainty jewelry for added sparkle or a belt to add shape to the body, perhaps?
Last, but not least, another full Zara look– the cropped tank, lace top and skirt are all pieces from Zara over the years.
Unlike the first 4 outfits, I finally added a pop of color to this one! This magenta-red satin is very festive, and the best time I can think of wearing this maxi skirt would be during the holidays! In fact, I wore this skirt during last year’s family holiday photos with a white sweater.
Also, how cute is this lace top?! I’ve always really liked lace, see through tops, but struggled to find the perfect thing to wear underneath it. I am so glad I have this cropped tank now to wear underneath– this has become a go-to pair!
Thanks for making it this far — I hope you enjoyed! Are you dressing up this holiday season? If so, would love to hear what you’re wearing! If not, do you have a favorite outfit from the past? Happy holidays!
